Peter King is a recognized face in NFL coverage thanks to decades of quality coverage. He also happens to be a Hall of Fame voter. So when King penned this week’s “Football Morning In America” column, you’d have been wise to bet that King would touch on the happenings from this weekend’s voting and the revealed class of 2020 for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
He did.
And inside, King not only revealed who he voted for, but he revealed a telling factoid about Saturday’s deliberations and how it might impact former Miami Dolphins linebacker Zach Thomas. King’s FMIA column this morning revealed that the Hall of Fame voters deliberated on Zach Thomas’ candidacy for Canton for nearly twenty minutes — the 8th longest discussion among the 15 finalists.
“For the record (thanks to Hall voter Clark Judge of Talk of Fame Network for keeping me honest on the times), here’s how long each discussion lasted, in descending order, and in minutes and seconds:
Boselli 36:00, Lynch 26:51, linebacker Sam Mills 24:43, James 23:51, Bruce 22:08, Hutchinson 21:20, Atwater 19:50, linebacker Zach Thomas 19:05, defensive lineman Richard Seymour 16:43, wide receiver Holt 16:05, Polamalu 13:09, wide receiver Reggie Wayne 12:10, defensive tackle Bryant Young 12:06, Butler 11:51, Faneca 9:28.” – Peter King, Football Morning In America
Bruce, Hutchinson, Atwater, Polamalu and James were the lucky five. That means Thomas was among the most discussed to not get in — and more importantly, King things that Thomas has “momentum” on his side.
“The Miami linebacker (Thomas) gets great support from Ray Lewis and Brian Urlacher, peers from his day. I think he’ll get in at some point,” wrote King.
The disappointment of being passed over in what felt like Thomas’ best shot to date will still sting, but hearing that Thomas’ candidacy is building momentum is a small bit of solace to take from the voting for the class of 2020.
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